Life, Love, and Destiny
by reveur
Summary: Hermione is faced with mysterious dreams, hard decisions and things yet to come in her 7th year. Third chapter ends with pleasant news for all you H/H fans out there!
1. Dreams and Deceptions

Dreams and Deceptions

Dreams and Deceptions

Disclaimer: I don't own or have the rights to the characters, places mentioned, or any of the other stuff in here that belongs to J.K Rowling. All that I have the "rights" to are any of my original characters and plots. So, without further adieu, the fan fiction!

~~~

Hermione Granger woke with a start in her 7th year dormitory, trembling head to foot. _It was all a dream,_ she reassured herself. No, more like a nightmare. But it had seemed so real…

__

_Hermione was running through the forest. _Was it the Forbidden Forest?_ She couldn't really tell. The sky was dark and star-less, the only light coming from the moon, which was eerily covered by rain clouds. She ran until she reached a clearing in the woods. The once green grass was now charcoal black and smelt of diminishing fires._

_ _

_Hermione bent down, startled to see the sparkle of glass amidst the burnt earth. _Harry's glasses,_ she thought, her heart rate accelerating. Just as she felt her eyes beginning to water up, a flash of white grazed the edge of her vision. Alarmed, she picked up the glasses and began to run deeper into the forest. _You've got to find Harry,_ she frantically thought, her eyes scanning the perimeter for any sign of him. She looked back over her shoulder to find that a white apparition was following her. Letting out a startled cry, Hermione whipped her head back around just as her foot caught under a protruding tree root._

_ _

_The apparition was descending on her, reaching out a hand as if to touch her. And then-_

_ _

__She woke up. Hermione shuddered just thinking about it.

"Hermione, get up or you'll be late for breakfast!" Parvati's whine carried through the air, and Hermione cringed as it pierced her ears.

"Oh, um, yeah, I'll be down in a few minutes," Hermione grumbled, trudging out of bed. It wasn't like her to complain about going to school, but she was still recalling that dream. Something about it's vagueness had unsettled her.

After taking a quick shower, Hermione pulled on her familiar black robe and crammed her pointed hat onto her head. Over the summer she had learned an easily performed spell that made her hair a lot less frizzy and bushy. She took a quick glance in the mirror, wasn't appalled by what she saw, and hurried out the door and down the stairs into the Gryffindorcommon room. She quickly spotted her friends Harry Potter and Ron Weasley and hurried over to them.

"There you are!" Ron exclaimed. "We were afraid you were deathly ill. _You _miss a day of school? _Never!_"

"I guess my mind was elsewhere this morning," Hermione muttered unconvincingly.

Harry glanced quickly at her, and then said, "Well, we'd better be going. Cho said that she'd meet us in the Great Hall."

Ah, yes, Cho Chang, Harry's current girlfriend. She had had some "family business" to take care of last year, so she had agreed to put off her 7th year at Hogwarts for one year. Cho was one of those people who put on one face for the world to admire, and another for her competition. Why she viewed Hermione as competition, Hermione didn't know. Hermione just did her best to ignore it. Or rather, her. 

Harry, of course, was delighted. After fours of waiting for the right opportunity, he finally mustered up the courage to ask her out. They immediately began dating, much to Hermione's displeasure. That was nearly two months ago, as Halloween was upon them.

At the mention of Cho's name, Hermione mumbled some incoherently and dashed back up to her dormitory.

"What's with her?" Harry asked, shocked at Hermione's sudden change of interest.

"I don't know, but I think we should go without her. I'm starving." Harry rolled his eyes. _That's Ron for you,_ he thought. But at the back of his head he still wondered what had upset Hermione.

~~~

Up in her room, Hermione paced back and forth talking to herself. "You stupid girl! How much more of this can you take? You know he'll never like you that way. Give up! You're just a seemingly insignificant part of his life. But I'm not in love with him. I can't possibly be in love with him. Can I?" Hermione sat down on her bed, exhausted somehow, trying to drive all thoughts of Harry Potter out of her head.

~~~

In the Great Hall, Harry and Ron met up with Cho and walked over to their usual seats at the Gryffindor table. Cho didn't mind sitting with the Gryffindors, just as long as she could flirt endlessly with Harry. Frankly it made everyone around them a little uncomfortable.

When breakfast was halfway over Hermione finally showed up, looking tired. "Where were you?" Harry asked as Cho tried to feed him a strawberry. He impatiently swatted Cho's hand away, earning himself a death glare from her. If Harry noticed he didn't acknowledge it.

"Oh, I just… forgot to do something in my room," Hermione lied. Secretly she was glad to see Cho's look of extreme displeasure. Harry frowned, but accepted her answer all the same.

Harry and Ron immediately dove into a conversation about the approaching Quidditch season. As Quidditch was never one of Hermione's favorite subjects, she began to gaze absentmindedly at Harry. She took in every aspect of him, from the way his jet-black hair bounced when he laughed to the mischievous glint in his emerald eyes. Hermione glanced over at Cho and caught her staring at something distant. Cho suddenly got up and left the hall. Hermione went about eating her toast, just glad to be near Harry, when she remembered that she forgot her book bag in the common room. Grabbing one last strip of bacon, she set off to retrieve it before her morning classes started.

~~~

Passing along a second floor corridor, Hermione stopped as she heard a familiar voice up ahead. Cho! _Perfect, just what I need, _Hermione thought. Preparing to turn around and find another route, she stopped as Cho began to speak.

"Don't worry, honey. I've got Harry wrapped around my finger. As soon as I get what I want out of him, I'll dump him and move onto bigger and better things. Like you." The distinct smacking of lips followed Cho's remark.

Hermione bit her lip and quickly walked the other way, hoping that Cho didn't hear her. _She doesn't have any feelings for Harry! That means Harry will-oh my God! Harry! He really likes Cho…But I don't want him to get hurt…_ Hermione was tormented by her own thoughts. _I'll have to tell him, _she finally decided. _But what if he doesn't believe me? What if he's terribly hurt? What if…_

_ _

Hermione completely forgot about her absorbed in her thoughts. So she walked along to Transfiguration, thinking of how and what to say to Harry.

~~~

A/n: Okay people!! I want reviews!! Tell me what you think- do you want more? Have any requests or suggestions for future chapters? Who do you want to date whom? You tell me and I'll do my best to incorporate that into my story. If you don't review then I'll assume that you hated it, and I won't upload any more. So until next time we meet,

~the author

P.S.- you can e-mail me, too. The address should be on my profile. Farewell for now! __


	2. Truths

Life, Love, and Destiny

Truths

~~~

When Hermione reached the Transfiguration classroom it was nearly deserted, as it was still fifteen minutes before the start of class. She sought out a table at the back of the room, hoping to brush up on her Transfiguration of Live Animals notes. But her mind kept straying to Harry, and the task at hand. Without thinking she began to rehearse what she would say.

"Hey, Harry! Listen… No, that's not right… Harry, we need to talk… Harry! Hey! How's it going?"

"Or how about 'Harry, can I talk to you?'" Harry's voice said from behind her. Hermione nearly jumped a foot. She swiveled around, clutching at her heart.

"Oh, Harry, heh. You nearly scared me to death! Where's Ron?" she asked, hoping to draw Harry's attention from what he'd overheard.

Harry sat down, facing her, looking concerned. "Hermione, is something wrong? You've been acting kind of strange all day."

"No, nothing at all," Hermione lied.

"Nothing you want to tell me?" Harry pried.

"Nope."

"Are you sure?

"Yup."

"Absolutely positive?" Her one-word answers didn't seem to be enough for him. Hermione cracked.

"Oh…okay, there is, but I can't tell you now."

Harry raised his eyebrows. "Why not?" he asked inquisitively.

"Just meet me in the common room at 11 o'clock tonight. There! Are you satisfied?" Without waiting for an answer, she stood up and left the room. Once she was around the corner she leaned against the wall and slid to the ground. Hermione curled up into a little ball, just wishing to float away from her problems. _I'm so-_

Someone tapped her foot. "Hey," Ron said. "What's with you?"

Reluctantly, Hermione stood, facing him. Ron was a good eight inches taller than her, but she still looked him straight in the eye. "Nothing." She laughed. "Everything. Absolutely everything. I'm hopeless, confused, and in quite a predicament."

Ron looked confused, so she said, "If you've got a minute after class I'd be happy to elaborate for you. But for now I think we'd better get to class." Ron nodded, and they began to walk back to the classroom.

Upon reaching their destination, Hermione and Ron entered the class to find Harry sitting in the back by himself, apparently deep in thought. However, he looked up as soon as they approached him. As Hermione sat down she heard Harry whisper, "What's going on?"

"No clue whatsoever," Ron replied, his voice low so that Hermione wouldn't hear. Hermione stared straight ahead, bracing herself for the class and the rest of her miserable day.

~~~

After Transfiguration was over, Hermione dashed out of the classroom knowing full well that she was supposed to speak with Ron. Rounding a corner, she recognized Ron's voice calling after her. "Hermione! Wait up!" She pretended not to hear him until he caught up with her in the gardens. Hermione turned around, not quite knowing where to begin. "Hermione, what's-"

"Wait," Hermione interrupted. "I'm not good at awkward conversations, so it would be best if I started talking before I lose the nerve altogether." Ron nodded, and Hermione thought for a moment longer. "Okay. Just for one moment, pretend that you're not who you are. Pretend that you've fallen in love with the perfect person, at least in your eyes. Everything about them is…absolutely wonderful," Hermione said with a faint smile, "but there's a catch. This person is infatuated with someone else. But _this _person-"

"Hermione, you're losing me. Just say what you wanted to say, no strings attached."

"I-I-I think I've fallen in love with Harry," Hermione said in a small voice. Ron looked shocked at first, and then sighed.

"Wow. That's…wow." He couldn't seem to manage more.

Hermione groaned. "That's not even half of it. Remember this morning when I went to get my bag from the common room? Well… I walking down a hall when I heard Cho tell some other guy that she was going to use Harry, dump him, and move on to 'bigger and better things.'" Hermione said all of this very fast, and then felt her eyes begin to water up. "Oh, Ron, I don't know what to do! I want Harry to be happy, but I feel that he needs to know what's going on. If I tell him he might hate me forever, but if I don't he'll be absolutely crushed when Cho…" She couldn't even finish before dissolving into tears. "I'm just so scared of losing him," she whispered before Ron grabbed her shoulders.

"Hey," he said sympathetically. "You'll work this out. We both know that Harry needs to know. And," he paused before continuing, "he should hear it from you."

"I know," she said, her crying stopped now. "I've already arranged to talk to him tonight."

"So…how long have you known?"

"Known what?"

"That you're in love with him."

Hermione laughed bitterly. "I've known my whole life, Ron." She looked out to the forest and sighed. "That's what making this so hard."

~~~

Somehow Hermione managed to make it through her remaining classes, none of which she had with Harry or Ron, without breaking down. During Arithmancy Hermione watched the clock turn to 5:30 p.m. Class was dismissed with no homework. _Only 5 ½ more hours till eleven…_Hermione went straight to her dorm, not in the mood for dinner. Stopping outside of her door, Hermione listened to make sure that no one else was in the dorm. It was indeed empty, so Hermione opened the door and crawled onto her bed. She decided to take a nap, as this was going to be a long night.

~~~

When Hermione awoke, the wall mounted clock read 10:37. Glancing around the room she saw that her roommates were already asleep. _Strange. It's barely 10:30 on a Friday night. Oh, well._ Hermione spent the remaining 20 minutes making herself look presentable. Her hair was matted, her clothes were rumpled, and she was in a horrible mood. Well, at least the hair and clothes could be fixed. After brushing her hair and putting on some jeans and a sweater, Hermione opened her door, taking a deep breath and willing herself to be brave. _I'm such a drama queen,_ she thought at the back of her mind. She walked down the hair and into the empty common room.

Harry was sitting in a chair, facing the fire. He didn't seem to hear her come in. Hermione stood there for a moment, looking at how the firelight made his hair appear to glow. Gathering her courage, she started crossing the room to Harry. He looked up at the sound of her shoe heels on the floor, and smiled. "Hey," he said, his low voice floating away into the emptiness of the room. Hermione sat down in a chair facing him.

"Hey." She couldn't think of anything else at that moment. "So…"

"So…" There was a brief pause, then, "Is everything okay? You seemed…distant today."

"Yeah, I've had a lot on my mind lately."

"Such as…?" Hermione's heart rate was accelerating. _I can't do this. I can't hurt him._

"Are you in love with Cho?" Hermione blurted out, then winced. _Oh no, wrong question, wrong question…_

_ _

__Harry looked surprised, almost shocked. He seemed to recover quickly, though. "Why?" he asked slowly.

_It's now or never, _Hermione thought. "I-I heard her, uh, talking to someone earlier today. About you."

"Really? Bad things or good things?"

_Oh, God, here we go. _"Uh, not exactly…good things." Harry was beginning to look worried. "She said that-that she was using you to get something, and then she was going to dump you for another guy." Harry was looking very worried now. "I-I don't know, I-I could have heard her wrong, but I don't think so. She-she was kissing another guy. Oh, Harry, I'm so sorry." The last part was barely more than a whisper.

The room was silent for a few minutes. Then Harry's shocked expression turned into one of anger. "You're lying," he said, his voice quaking.

"What?" Hermione said in a slightly harsh whisper. _Oh, no, he doesn't believe me. _She became dizzy, and took a deep breath to steady herself.

"You're lying. You've always been jealous of Cho, haven't you? You just can't stand to see her happy, can you?" Harry's voice was rising. "You're going too far, Hermione. Just back off!" He was yelling now.

"Harry, do you really think that I'm that immature? You know me! I would never do anything to hurt you, ever! The last thing I want is to see you in pain. That's why I told you. I thought that you deserved to hear it first. But now I see that you're just too God damned stubborn to listen!!" Hermione was matching Harry's tone now. "Maybe I should have just let Cho break your heart. I should have just let you been dragged around on a leash. But I thought that you were too good for that. You deserve better!"

"Who? Someone like _you_? Someone who will constantly be on my back, just trying to get in on all of the fame and glory of Harry Potter?" Hermione was shocked into silence. _He honestly thinks I'm like that?_ When he spoke again, his voice had returned to a tranquil tone. "You know what? Maybe we should take a break on this whole friend business. I don't really think that I need someone else to control my life right now." Hermione was stunned. Whatever she had expected, this wasn't it.

Hermione looked him in the eye, and then turned away, her eyes threatening to overflow with tears. She walked away slowly, shaking her head. "What?" she heard him say to her retreating back, a note of regret in his voice. She turned back to him, her vision blurred by tears.

"It just strikes me as odd that you're so willing and eager to throw away seven years of friendship. You almost seem to want a reason not to trust me. I always thought that you could see behind this wall that I've put up around myself. But I guess I was wrong." Harry was silent, so Hermione turned around and walked back to her dorm. She closed the door silently as not to wake her roommates. The tears were still rolling down her face. She pulled on her pajamas, climbed into bed, and silently cried herself to sleep.

~~~

A/n: Well, what do you think? Now that you've had two chapters of it, do you want more? I need at least 10 reviews before I put up the next one!! Come on, I know you people are reading this. I promise, the next chapter is going to kick some major butt! Oh, yeah! So give me some input! Tah-tah!


	3. Obvious

Disclaimer: I don't any HP characters

Obvious

Disclaimer: I don't any HP characters. All I own is my plot. And, no, I don't own the lyrics to "Obvious," performed by Christina Aguilera.

~~~

_ _

_Can you hear it in my voice_

Was it something I let slip Does the whole world know Isn't it obvious I'm the one who's in control Now I'm acting like a fool Do my feelings show Is my face aglow Isn't it obvious  ~~~

_Hermione was standing on a hill overlooking the sea. _It seems so peaceful here, _she thought. _Free of all the worlds dizzying problems. _The sun had just set and a few stars were beginning to appear over the horizon. _I wish that I could stay here forever._ She felt someone place a hand on her shoulder. Hermione whirled around to find a shadow in the shape of a human standing behind her. "You can help him," it said. "You're the missing piece to this puzzle. Help him. Help_ us._" Then the shadow vanished, leaving Hermione alone, except for her questions with no answers._

_ _

~~~

I don't know what I'm doing anymore I'm feeling like a little girl Caught up in emotions I'm out of control Isn't it obvious 

It was 3 o'clock on a bright, clear Saturday afternoon. It had been a week since she'd told Harry about Cho, and he'd been avoiding her ever since. She'd tried to explain further a few times, but he would just ignore her and walk away. In fact, he hadn't spoken to Hermione at all during the week, forcing Ron to act as the middle person between them. Hermione had cried herself to sleep every night that week. But tonight would be different. Tonight she would find a way to tell Harry everything-even her feelings for him.

Passing through a corridor Hermione heard someone calling her name. She turned timidly around to see Cho Chang walking towards her. _Oh great,_ Hermione thought. _Some poor village must be missing its idiot._

_ _

"Hey, Hermione. Listen-can we talk?"

"Sure," Hermione said in a flat tone. She turned towards Cho as she began to speak.

"Um…Harry told me that you overheard me talking about him last week. I think that you deserve to know what's going on."

"Cho, I-"

"No, really, I think you should know." Cho took a deep breath. "Okay. What you heard is true. I _am _seeing someone else. But-"

"God, Cho! How could you do this to him? What the hell possessed you?!"

"My God, Hermione! You don't think I know that? You don't think I've stayed up nights wondering how I could have done this to him? Well your wrong! I _did _fall for Harry, but only for his image! I didn't _know_ him. It was just the challenge to show him how to love someone! I can only hope I didn't succeed! He doesn't need to lose someone he loves. Again." After a brief pause she continued. "And…you didn't hear the whole conversation. You didn't hear me tell-"

"Wait," Hermione interrupted. "I don't need to know who it is. It would just make things more complicated than they already are."

"Okay…you didn't hear me tell…him…everything." Cho took another deep breath before continuing. "I don't know if you could actually say that I'm seeing him. I didn't even know that I was in love with him until a couple of weeks ago. I managed myself poorly after that, I guess. I know, I know-I should have told Harry. But I couldn't do that to him. And now I've probably hurt him worse." Hermione was speechless. Cho Chang…good girl? Nah. And yet…

"You swear to me that this is all true?" Hermione whispered. "That you never did any of this intentionally?"

"Cross my heart, hope to die."

Hermione nodded her head and began walking back to the common room. On impulse, she turned back. "You know…you're okay, Cho."

Cho gave her a half smile. "Thanks for understanding, Hermione." Hermione turned back around, resuming her walk. She gave a small sigh as she thought, _If only you knew._

_ _

Do you see my hands they tremble 

_Wonder why I can't look you in the eye_

_Don't know how long I can keep this inside_

_Isn't it obvious_

_ _

__As Hermione was walking down the final corridor, she came upon Harry and Ron heading in the opposite direction. "Hey," Ron said, shifting uncomfortably.

"Hey," Hermione replied, keeping her eyes downcast. _If I look at him I'll only cry,_ she thought, trying to remain calm. Her response was followed by a long silence. "Well…I'd better be going."

"Oh, yeah, yeah, us too," Ron said quickly. _I hate this! _Hermione wanted to scream as they walked away. But instead she kept her feelings inside, as always.

I don't know what I'm doing anymore 

_I'm feeling like a little girl_

_Caught up in emotions_

_I'm out of control_

_Isn't it obvious_

_ _

~~~

_ _

_I wonder if Cho told him, _Hermione thought as she shuffled through the common room. _Better her than me._

_ _

"You'll never guess what I heard," Hermione heard Parvati say. "_Harry _said that _Hermione_ is a lying bitch that can't be trusted."

"_Harry _said that?" Lavender replied. "How did you find that out?"

"I've…got connections," Parvati said in a matter-of-fact tone. _Great,_ Hermione fumed to herself. _That's just great. Maybe he doesn't deserve to know!_

_ _

__"Who the hell does he think he is?!" Hermione yelled, unable to control herself. People were giving her uneasy glances, but she was too upset to notice.

"Hermione?" She heard her name said tentatively. She turned around to find Harry looking at her._ Be calm._

_Act as if you've heard nothing._

_ _

__"Yes?" She was polite, but refused to smile. He didn't _deserve _a smile.

"Umm…Can we talk for a minute?"

__"Sure." Hermione followed Harry out of the common room, down two corridors, up a flight of stairs, and onto the Astronomy deck. She turned towards Harry, keeping her distance. It was a clear night, the stars gently illuminating the two people beneath them. There was a gentle breeze playing about them. Hermione first looked down at the ground below them, then up into Harry's bright green eyes. _Knees weakening, determination dissolving…_Hermione and Harry both spoke at the same time.

"How much longer-"

"Cho and I broke up-"

"Why don't you trust…what?" It finally hit her in mid-sentence. _Yes! But there's still one more matter…_

_ _

Whoa suddenly, these emotions 

_Are in control of my heart_

_Can you see it in my eyes_

_ _

__"Cho told me everything up to your conversation this afternoon." Harry sat down on the railing, still facing her. "Neither of us knew the other. I only knew her as the pretty girl who could play Quidditch. She thought of me as…I don't know. We were both on the same page, in a way. She was in love with someone else and did something about it. I," Harry took a deep breath. "I was in love with someone else and pushed her away."

Every glance, every smile 

_Must give me away_

_I feel so much I can't hide_

_ _

__Hermione sensed that he was on the verge of saying something important, but chose this moment to interrupt. "Why don't you trust me?" Her voice pleaded him to tell her. Harry looked slightly taken aback as Hermione continued. "I need to know-why didn't you believe me? Are you growing tired of me? Do you find me to be a dishonest person?"

"No, no." Harry jumped down from the railing and walked over to where she was standing. He stopped when he was a few inches from her. "You're the most trustworthy person I know!"

"Not according to Lavender and Parvati," Hermione said.

"What?" Harry asked, confused.

"I overheard them saying that you called me a lying bitch, and that you couldn't trust me."

"What? I-I never said that! I would never say that, no matter how upset I was with you!"

_What to think now? He wouldn't lie to me…_ "Okay, I'll believe you. Because I _trust_ you. But that still doesn't answer my question. Why didn't you believe me?"

Harry looked at her, as if having second thoughts. He turned around and walked over to the railing, looking up at the stars. He motioned her to join him just as a star streaked across the black velvet sky.

"Do you think if you make a wish on a shooting star it will come true?" Harry asked. Was his voice shaking slightly? 

"I don't know. Make one and find out," Hermione replied. _Is he ever going to tell me? _There was a long silence. All that could be heard was the wind rustling through the trees in the distance.

"Hermione…I _do_ trust you. I would trust you with my life." Harry took a deep breath. "It's just that…I liked Cho since our third year. And then I finally got her. But when I got her I realized that I didn't want her anymore. I wanted someone else. But I had _Cho._ The prize was won. But I was falling for someone else, fast. I was scared. Without meaning to, I pushed her away. I don't want to regret it for the rest of my life because I didn't take a chance."

"Harry," Hermione said, turning away. "You're not making any sense." She felt Harry grab her hand and pull her back to him.

"Hermione," Harry whispered. "I wanted _you._"

Hermione was stunned. Then she came to her senses and whispered back, "I wanted you, too." Harry gently put his arms around her waist. Her own arms slid around his neck. The world seemed to stand still as Hermione held her breath and Harry bent his head to kiss her. Their lips joined in a simple yet sweet first kiss. All too soon it was over, but it was enough to sustain them. Harry rested his forehead on Hermione's as he whispered,

"I guess my wish came true." Hermione pulled back slightly so she could look into his eyes. She smiled as she said,

"I hope so. Mine certainly did."

I don't know what I'm doing anymore 

_I'm feeling like a little girl_

_Caught up in emotions_

_I'm out of control_

_Isn't it obvious_

_ _

_ _

_ _

A/n: Sorry it took so long to get up! Momentary writers block. Well, be kind and thoughtful people and review, please! If you do, I'll mention you in my next author's note. (Oooh, dare to dream! I know) Thank you everyone who has reviewed so far! Hey-idea! Tell me who Cho's with! I'm not sure yet. I know who I want her with, but I need input, please. I'll try to get the next one up ASAP. Thank you, and good night!!

_ _


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